


Tinder Bait

by wordlesscaptain



Category: Captain America (Movies), Marvel, Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Action/Adventure, F/M, Fluff, Romance, i'm going to be honest i have no idea how tags work on ao3
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-05
Updated: 2018-12-04
Packaged: 2019-09-07 17:46:03
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 18,062
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16858519
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/wordlesscaptain/pseuds/wordlesscaptain
Summary: Tony decides to meddle in your life yet again and sign you up for Tinder…but there’s a catch.





	1. Chapter 1

You had it pretty good. Well, pretty good for a recent college grad trying to enter the “real world”. You were fortunate enough to get a job at Stark Industries as a part-time receptionist. It wasn’t the most glamourous job, but you got to interact with a lot of famous faces. Of course, the job had its ups and downs, as anyone would imagine working for Tony Stark would. You had the pleasure of just starting working right before Tony made that killer robot, Ultron. You handled all the incessant calls and inquiries about that fiasco so well that Tony decided to hire you full-time.

An added bonus of working for Tony was getting to interact with the Avengers. You got well acquainted with the entire team in no time. You got along with everyone, some more than others. You, Natasha, and Wanda were extremely close, confiding in each other often. You regularly had girls’ nights together to get away from the testosterone of the rest of the team.

You meshed well with Sam, Steve, and Bucky. Sam and Bucky’s pranks on each other always amused you. You would sometimes join in, which would make the “victim” of the prank furious. They were a fun bunch. You and Steve were great friends. He always made sure to stop by and say hello to you every day if he wasn’t away on a mission. You two often got together when Sam and Bucky’s bickering got a little too much to handle. You also enjoyed sharing parts of the 21st Century with him that he hadn’t discovered yet. Overall, you really enjoyed being in his company. You had a soft spot for him, but you tried your damn hardest to keep that under wraps. 

As for Tony, your relationship was…interesting. He was like an annoying brother, over bearing and caring father, and weird uncle all mixed into one. He obviously wanted the best for you, but didn’t always go about it the best way. He often dragged you into awkward situations, of which you had no way of getting out of. You were currently in his lab about to get involved in one of his crazy schemes again.

“Alright Tony, what did you call me in here for?”

“Well, I’m sure you’re aware that you’ve been out of the dating game for quite some time,” he paused. You stared at him. What was he getting at? “So, I took it upon myself to make you a Tinder account.”

“You did _what_?” you asked harshly.

“Signed you up for Tinder. You know, that online dating app where-“

“I know what Tinder is, Tony,” you snapped.

“Great, so I won’t have to teach you how to use it,” he continued.

“Look, I don’t know what’s gotten into that genius head of yours, but I don’t like the concept of online dating at all. It just seems so-”

“Nuh-uh, save it. You can voice your opinion in the briefing room. Let’s go,” he said as he led you down the hall with his hands on your shoulders.

“Tony, I have work to do. Those phones don’t answer themselves, you know,” you argued.

“Actually,” he paused with a smirk, “they do.” You groaned. You knew there was no chance you were getting out of whatever it was Tony had up his sleeve. You worked for him long enough to know that. You hoped the other Avengers in the briefing room would help change his mind. A slim chance, albeit, but a chance nonetheless.

When you got to the briefing room, Sam and Steve were already there talking amongst themselves. Tony cleared his throat to announce his presence and they turned their attention to the both of you. “Alright, now that everyone’s here,” Tony started.

“Wait, wait, wait. Where’s the rest of the team?” you asked. You needed all the help you could get if you wanted Tony to change his mind about this. You wished Natasha was there, not that Sam and Steve couldn’t help. She was just better at talking sense into that stubborn head of his.

“Sorry, kiddo. I’ve got the rest of the team tasked with something else,” he said. You were doomed. “So,” he continued, “as you all know, I signed our lovely Y/N up for Tinder. Sam, did you fill Gramps in on what Tinder is?” he asked. Sam nodded his head. You snapped your head in their direction with a look of disbelief.

“Hold on, you two knew about this already?” you asked. Sam nodded. Steve hesitated before he nodded as well. You stared hard at Steve. You thought he would be against Tony meddling in your life without your permission. He had definitely voiced his opinion when Tony had done so in the past. He adverted his gaze from yours, looking down at his hands. You couldn’t believe this. You turned to Tony and spoke again, “Tony, you’ve done stuff like this before. Many times, actually. But this is taking it too far.”

“Y/N, it’s not as bad as you think,” Sam commented. Maybe he was right. Maybe you were overreacting. You could always delete the account later. But Tony should’ve asked for your permission first, and the fact that he didn’t pissed you off.

“I don’t like online dating. I think it’s fake. Call me crazy, but I like meeting people the old fashioned way,” you stated. Steve looked up at you when you said this, but you were too busy fuming to notice.

“And how’s that been working out for ya?” Tony asked. You rolled your eyes and shook your head. “That’s what I thought. Now if you’d please, Y/N, take a seat.” You did as you were told and sat next to Steve, not without giving him a disapproving look first.

“As I was saying, I signed Y/N up for Tinder, and she took it about as well as anyone expected,” he said. You huffed. “But I did it without the intent of finding you a boyfriend.”

“Okay…” you said hesitantly.

“As it turns out, one of our lovely friends at HYDRA happens to be an avid user of Tinder,” he said. You didn’t like where this was going, but you decided to keep quiet. “And you’ve got a date with him this Friday.” Your eyes grew as wide as saucers. Your mouth was slightly agape, but you couldn’t get any words to come out. You were stunned. Speechless. Why in the world would he think this was a good idea?

“I realize this all sounds,” he paused, looking for the right word to say, “terrible. But we don’t really have any other choice.”

“He’s right, Y/N,” Steve finally spoke up. You looked at him, still stunned. “We’ve been trying to track down this guy for months. He’s got intel on HYDRA’s new whereabouts and we desperately need that information before they decide to attack again.” He gave you a slight smile. You sat there in silence, still unsure of what to say.

“We need someone on the outside, per say, to try to reel him in. And that someone is you,” Tony added.

“Why not send Natasha on him? This is definitely her area of expertise,” you proposed.

“We did,” Sam said. “This guy caught onto her right away. That’s when we all decided we needed to send in someone he definitely wouldn’t recognize.”

“And you’re sure he’s never seen me? I mean, I work for Tony fucking Stark of all people. He’s not exactly subtle,” you inquired.

“Pretty positive,” Tony answered, ignoring your jab at him. “You’ve only every worked at the Tower. You’ve never visited SHIELD’s headquarters in DC and you know I don’t let any just anyone in here.” You nodded. Everything they were saying made sense, but you still weren’t completely comfortable with the idea.

“We also need someone we can trust,” Steve added. “We still don’t know who’s HYDRA and who’s not, so we can’t choose a SHIELD agent. We know you won’t double cross us.”

“But I’m not an agent. I answer phones all day. I have _zero_ training. What if he tries something funny?” you asked, worry lacing your voice.

“We’ll be right there with you,” Steve assured you as he put a hand on your shoulder giving it a small squeeze. You gave him a slight smile. Maybe this wouldn’t be so bad. The Avengers had handled much worse so you knew you’d be in good hands.

“We’ll have you wear this the entire time,” Tony handed you a small ear comm. “That way we can record what he says _and_ help you out if you need it.”

“Yeah,” you mumbled, “I’m going to need it.”

“Oh come on, Y/N, you’ll be just fine,” Sam laughed. “Just be yourself.”

“That’s the problem. I’m absolutely terrible on dates. Just awful,” you sighed. “I never hear from them again, so obviously I’m doing something wrong. I don’t want to mess this up for you guys.”

“Oh, don’t you fret, I will be there to help you every step of the way,” Tony boasted. You rolled your eyes.

“Yep, I’m screwed.”

“Yep,” Steve and Sam laughed. 

 


	2. Chapter 2

The next day, Tony called you back into the briefing room to get the specifics for Friday’s date. You were thankful that he and the team had a game plan for this. Tony planning things by himself was always dangerous. You had definitely been on the receiving end of Tony’s spontaneous plans, which usually never went the way he intended for them to go. Having the entire team, not just Tony, work on this eased your worries. Unfortunately, Natasha and Wanda were still working on whatever it was Tony had tasked them with. Clint and Vision were currently out on a last minute mission. So, it was just you, the three army veterans, and the billionaire. It made for quite the dynamic. You were currently seated at the table next to Steve while Sam and Bucky sat on the opposite side of you. Tony stood at the front of the room with a remote in his hand.

 “FRIDAY, cue the presentation, please,” he bellowed.

“Right away, sir,” the AI replied. Instantly, the lights dimmed and a holographic projection of a presentation appeared behind Tony. Just as he was about to start his presentation, you spoke up.

“Did you really make a _PowerPoint_ for this?”

“A stroke of genius, I know,” he retorted.

“Probably your best idea yet,” Sam smirked. Everyone laughed, minus Tony.

Tony cleared his throat, “Anyway, we’re going to go through a basic rundown on what’s going to happen Friday night. If you have any questions, please keep them to yourself. I don’t want to hear them.”

“What about-,” Bucky interjected.

“Barnes,” Tony warned, glaring at him.

“Hey, why don’t we-,” Sam started.

“Shush!” Tony cut him off. You rolled your eyes and smiled slightly. Those two could go on bothering Tony for hours if no one stopped them. Tony was never able to stop them himself, because he often got too caught up in their shenanigans. You always thought he secretly enjoyed it. So, it was up to either you or Steve to end it. But you weren’t going to stop them, at least not yet. It’s not that you didn’t want to hear what Tony had to say, you were just enjoying the friendly squabble unfold before you. They continued to bicker back and forth. You glanced at Steve and saw a small smile on his face. He was enjoying it, too. He caught your eye and you gave him a knowing look.

Steve leaned in close to you and whispered in your ear, “We should probably put an end to this.” You could feel his hot breath on your skin. It sent a slight shiver down your spine.

“Be my guest,” you offered, gesturing towards the group.

“But I always do it,” he protested.

“They’re your friends, Steve.”

“They’re your friends, too.”

“They listen better to you.”

“That’s not true and you-”

“Ooh, Capsicle and Y/N are having a moment,” Tony blurted. You immediately looked away from each other, your cheeks both dusting pink. Was it really a moment? It didn’t feel like anything special. It felt normal, natural even, being that close to him. You didn’t want to overanalyze it, though, not right not at least.

“Can you get on with the presentation, please, Tony?” you asked, hoping he wouldn’t bother you and Steve any further. That was the last thing you needed.

“I don’t know, _can_ I?” he retorted. You looked at him flatly. “Okay, let’s get started. I’ve already set up a time and place for Friday,” he clicked to the first slide with the name of the restaurant, ‘Le Bernardin’, and the time, ‘7:00pm’. “It’s fancy, but not high end.” That most likely meant it was high end. “I personally know the owner and have informed him of the situation. So if anything does get a little weird, he won’t be freaked out.” He knew the owner personally? Yep, definitely high end.

The second slide popped up and you nearly fell out of your chair. This slide had a picture of the interior of the restaurant. The walls were all covered in dark wood panels. A giant abstract painting, that had to of cost thousands if not millions of dollars, hung on the wall. In the middle of the dining area was a table covered in a satin white table cloth. Four giant, rectangular, glass vases sat atop it with giant hydrangeas delicately placed inside them. Each table also had satin white table cloths. The chairs alongside the tables were plush and dark brown. The place setting was incredibly over whelming. There were way too many spoons and forks to make sense of. And the dishes! They were rimmed with gold. You hoped to God it wasn’t real gold.

“Not high end, my ass!” you hollered. “There’s no way in hell I can afford this place. Not to mention, I’ll stick out like a sore thumb there.”

“Not to worry,” he waved. “I’ve got the bill covered. You deserve to go somewhere a little fancy. And regards to ‘sticking out like a sore thumb’,” he put in air quotes, “I’ve also got that covered.”

You crossed your arms over your chest and slumped down into your seat. “Okay, okay.”

“Good.” He switched to the next slide. “We’ll have you take a cab to the restaurant. We can’t have you arriving in style in one of my easy to distinguish cars. You’ll go up to the hostess and she’ll lead you to the table. You’ll talk to the guy and when we think we’ve gotten all the information we need from him, we’ll give you the signal to get the hell out of there. You’ll say something to him along the lines of ‘Hey’-smirk or something, I don’t know-‘wanna get out of here?’” he said in a sultry voice.

“Channel my inner Tony, got it,” you replied.

“Exactly. Then you’ll lead him out the front and we’ll be there waiting for him.” You nodded.

“Tony and I will be up in the air circling the building to keep a look out for any suspicious behavior,” Sam added.

“Bucky and I will be on the ground doing the same thing. Bucky will be stationed at the front door and I’ll be at the back.” Bucky nodded as Steve continued. “He’s an important guy to HYDRA, so we suspect he’ll have guards or something in the surrounding area.”

“As for your date, here’s what to expect,” he said as clicked to the next slide with a few photos of the man in question. You grimaced. His first photo was a cliché mirror selfie. That was always a telltale sign of douchebag. He had dark brown slicked back hair. It was pretty obvious he used way too much styling gel, because his hair looked greasy. He had a pointed nose and a well defined jawline. He was muscular, but not nearly as much as Steve or Bucky. He looked very stoic in his photos. He definitely gave off a narcissistic vibe.

“This is William Rowland. A real catch, as you can see. We know he’s pretty high up in HYDRA’s ranks. He’s not at the top, but he should have top level information that hopefully you can get out of him. Let’s see, his bio says he’s 6’3, loves dogs…and promotes world peace. I’m pretty sure he’s killed a guy.”

“So I’m going on a date with a murderer, great,” you replied flatly.

“At least he likes dogs,” Bucky chimed in.

“You know,” you paused, “this actually might not be the worst date I’ve ever been on.” They all looked at you with skepticism.

“Really?” Steve asked. You nodded.

“Do tell,” Sam encouraged.

“Okay, so I had this friend in high school who set me up on a blind date. She said she thought we’d be a perfect match. I believed her and agreed to go on a date with this mystery guy. I was on my way to meet him, when some guy rammed into the side of my car. I pulled over and he got out of his car and started yelling at me for hitting him. It was clearly his fault, but he wasn’t convinced. He kept saying he had to be somewhere, so he couldn’t wait for the cops to come. We exchanged information and he went on his merry way. I called the cops anyway to get things sorted out.

“By the time I got to the restaurant, my date was already there. I saw him from afar sitting in the back of the restaurant. He looked oddly familiar, but I thought it was probably just because we went to school together. But when I got closer, he turned out to be the guy who hit me just minutes earlier.” Sam and Bucky erupted in laughter.

“Nuh uh!” Sam bellowed.

“No way!” Bucky yelled.

“Yep,” you nodded.

“Wow,” Tony muttered. “Even I haven’t had a date that bad.”

“What can you do?” you shrugged. “Let’s just hope this Tinder date goes better.”

You noticed Steve was awfully quiet. You gave him a quick glace and noticed his jaw was clenched. Was he…angry? You had no idea why. Was he upset by the story you just told or your upcoming date? He seemed like he was hiding something from you. You two had an open and honest relationship with each other. That meant you told each other everything. Every time someone got on your nerves at work, every time your coworkers didn’t do their job and you had to pick up their slack, every time a mission didn’t go the way he wanted it to, every time Tony pressed his buttons too much. _Everything_. You were determined to ask him what was bothering him later.

“Well,” Tony spoke up, breaking you from your thoughts. “That’s the end of my presentation. Any questions?” Bucky and Sam’s hands went up instantly. He turned to them with an annoyed look. “Not from you two,” he scolded. He turned to look at you. “Y/N?” he asked with calmer tone. You shook your head.

“Alright! We’ll regroup on Friday.” He gathered his belongings and left the room. Sam and Bucky soon followed suit. You and Steve were the only ones who remained in the room. You let out a heavy sigh and turned to face Steve.

“Alright Rogers, spill it,” you said a little more harshly than you intended.

“Spill what?” he asked. You rolled your eyes. You knew he knew what you meant.

“What’s bothering you,” you replied flatly.

“Nothing’s bothering me.”

“Steve,” you gave him a pointed look. He sighed and looked away from you.

“I don’t know how I feel about this,” he mumbled.

“About what? Me? The mission? Tony and his terribly expensive taste?” you asked hoping to lighten his mood with the last question. It worked because he let out a laugh.

“No no, I know exactly how I feel about Tony,” he looked at you with a small smile. “It’s you I’m worried about.”

“Me?”

“And the mission!” he added quickly. “You and the mission.”

“What are you worried about? I’m going to be in some the best hands in the entire universe. I’ll be alright, Steve,” you reassured.

“Yeah. It’s just-I don’t,” he paused as he rubbed the back of his neck, “I don’t know what I’d do if something happened to you,” he said barely above a whisper. You were slightly taken aback by his words. You knew you two were close. Extremely close for that matter. Was he saying that because of your friendship or was there something more there? There was definitely something in his tone of voice that was throwing you off, but you couldn’t put your finger on what it was. You shook off the pestering thoughts and replied.

“Well, if you’re so worried about that, let’s do everything in our power to prevent something like that from happening.”

“That’s the goal,” he said, the corners of his mouth turning up slightly.

“I have an idea,” you smirked.

“What?” he asked apprehensively, but with a gleam in his eyes.

“Remember _way_ back in the day when we first met?” He nodded. “I was sitting at the receptionist’s desk and Tony was there?” He nodded again. “And he kept poking me with-oh, what was it? Pencils?”

 “Mhm” he nodded with a smile.

“And then you said to me, ‘Remind me later to give you some self-defense lessons. You’re going to need them around him, ’” you said in a mocking tone. Steve’s smile got bigger. “That was _years_ ago, Steve. I’m still vulnerable to Tony’s pencil attacks!” you joked.

“We’ll start tomorrow,” he laughed.

 


	3. Chapter 3

“Steeeve,” you whined. “I don’t know how much longer I can keep this up.” It was currently 7:00am and you were in the training room with Steve. Tony decided to give you the day off once he heard Steve had offered to give you some lessons in self-defense. It was nice of him to give you the day off, but you wished Steve would have agreed to start training a little later in the day. It was far too early for you to be doing any physical activity.

 “Y/N,” he laughed, “we’ve only been in here for 30 minutes.”

You scoffed. It felt like you had been training for hours with all the ridiculous things he was asking you to do: stretches, pushups, crunches, and running laps. The latter was what you were currently doing. You stopped in place and hunched over, putting your hands on your knees. “I,” you wheezed, “I think that’s enough laps for now.”

“You haven’t even finished two laps yet,” he said trying to keep a straight face.

“Well,” you stood up straight, “I’m not an Avenger so I am _very_ out of shape.”

“Really?” he gasped. “I couldn’t tell,” he smirked. You rolled your eyes.

“This isn’t what I had in mind when you said ‘self-defense training’. This feels more like boot camp.”

“I can assure you, boot camp is much worse.”

You raised your eyebrows in agreement, “Oh, I don’t doubt that.” You walked over to the bench where your water bottle was and sat down. You took a long swig of water and sat the water bottle next to you. You rested your elbows on your knees and let out a long sigh. Steve sat down next to you.

“I guess we could stop with the warm up and get straight to the self-defense.”

“But first, break,” you panted.

“Alright,” he grinned.

You moved closer to him and rested your head on his shoulder. You felt him jump at the sudden contact, but then he eased into your touch. You closed your eyes, enjoying the comfortable silence between the two of you. He rested his head on top of yours and you felt face flush. Your stomach fluttered at the closeness of the two of you.  

You enjoyed little moments like this with him. They were rare since he was always so busy, but maybe that was why you cherished them so much. Knowing that he was at peace made you feel at peace, too. Steve was always carrying around too much weight on his shoulders. Being the captain had is pros, but it definitely had its cons. He often blamed himself when missions went awry like if the enemy escaped, there were civilian casualties, or someone on the team got injured. You wished he wasn’t so hard on himself. You hoped moments like these helped him escape that burden.

You thought back to yesterday’s conversation. ‘ _I don’t know what I’d do if something happened to you_ ’ played over and over again in your mind. Why was he so concerned about you? You felt like this situation was making your relationship shift, but you couldn’t tell which direction it was going. The one thing you were certain of was this was causing him a lot of anxiety. If something bad happened to you on this date, you _knew_ he would blame himself for it, even if there was nothing he could’ve done differently. You knew it would eat him up inside. You hadn’t even gone on the date yet, and you could tell he was stressed. You felt absolutely awful that you were causing him unease and dread.

“I’m sorry,” you muttered.

“For what?” he hummed.

“For making you worry so much,” you uttered. He lifted his head off yours and looked at you with furrowed brows.

“Y/N, you’re not-”

“Steve,” you warned as you straightened up to look at him. “We’ve known each other for years now. I can tell when something is bothering you, and something obviously is. You carry such a heavy burden and I sure as hell don’t want to add to that. If you don’t want me to go through with this, then say the word and I won’t. I’m sure you guys can think of another way to catch this guy.” He sighed and shook his head.

“No,” he looked down at his hands, “I’m just being irrational. I’m letting my feelings get the best of me.” You’re body stiffened. Did he just say what you think he said?

“Feelings?” you breathed.

“Uh, yeah. Of friendship, of course,” he turned to you with closed eyes and a small smile. You looked away from him.

“Right, friendship,” you mumbled, feeling slightly defeated.

“Like you said before,” he placed a hand on your knee, giving it a slight squeeze, “you’ll be in good hands.” You nodded, not looking at him. “Now let’s get back to that self-defense training, huh?” Steve stood up.

“Yes, sir,” you stood up and walked over towards the mat area of the training room. You stood facing Steve, arms folded across your chest.

“Alright, first thing’s first,” he began, “the main goal is escape. If this guy gets physical, don’t worry if he gets away. Your life matters way more than his.” You could tell he was slipping into his Captain voice. It felt weird for him to use it towards you, but you didn’t mind all that much. If you were going to be honest, you kind of liked it.

“If he does attack, the best places for you to hit him are in the eyes, throat, groin, or shins. It’s important to observe your surroundings and find objects that might help you. But most of the time, your hands, feet, and elbows will be your greatest weapons.” You nodded.

“Now we’ll go through some different holds and I’ll teach you how to get out of them.” He motioned for you to come closer. You obliged, now mere inches away from him. He spoke up again, “This first one is if he grabs you at your waist from behind.” He walked behind you so he was no longer facing you. “Now, I’m going to put my arms around you. If at any time you need me to stop, you tell me.”

“Okay,” you nodded. Your heart started beat a little faster than you would’ve liked at the thought of him being so close to you in a matter of seconds. You hoped to God he wouldn’t be able to hear your heart beating out of your chest.

He wrapped his arms around your waist, his chest flesh against your back. Your breath hitched at the sudden contact, even though you knew it was coming. You were thankful you weren’t facing him, because you could feel your face turn ten shades darker.  

“If he grabs you around the waist and your arms are free, step one foot out to get your balance and use your elbow to strike his face,” he explained easily. He helped direct your legs to get in a better stance. He took hold of one of your arms and bent it so your elbow would hit him in the face if you swung it back. He then tightened his grip around your waist. How was he so nonchalant about all this? Was his heart not racing at how close you were, too?

“You’ll want to use your entire upper body when you strike so your hits have more power. Take it slow and twist your body with your elbow raised towards my face,” he continued. You followed his instructions and twisted your body so your elbow almost met his face.

“Good,” he stated. “Let’s do it again, but a little faster. Try to get some momentum going.” You nodded and twisted a little faster.

“Again.”

You twisted faster, but hesitated at the end, because you didn’t want to hit him in the face. Steve noticed your hesitation and spoke up.

“You can hit me in the face, Y/N.”

“I don’t want to hurt you,” you replied.

“I’m not too worried about that,” he chuckled. You turned your head and looked at him with narrow eyes, a glint of amusement shining in them.

“What? You don’t think I’m strong enough?” you smirked.

“That’s not what I-I didn’t mean-”

“Yeah, yeah. Save it, Rogers. Now I know what you _really_ think of me,” you teased. Now it was his turn to turn red. You smiled slightly at how tainted you made his cheeks. “Shall we?” you inquired. He nodded and tightened his grip. You turned your body back around.

“Just imagine I’m that creep. Don’t hesitate,” he added.

You took a deep breath and closed your eyes. You pictured Will in your head. His pointed nose. His callous face. His slimy, greasy, slicked back hair. His rancid breath against your neck, whispering malice and deceit in your ear. His filthy arms around you. His wicked smile growing bigger as you gasp for air. Squeezing you tighter and tighter and tighter and-

_Smack!_

You heard an ‘oomph’ as the arms around you loosened. You opened your eyes with heavy breaths. You turned around and saw Steve holding his nose. Your eyes widened.

“Oh, shit! Steve, are you okay?” you asked frantically.

“Yeah,” he nodded. “I’m sorry I underestimated you,” he smiled. You smiled back at him, but your smile fell when you saw blood start to drip from his nose.

“Damn it, Steve, you’re bleeding,” you blurted. He removed his hand from his nose and looked down at his now crimson fingers.

“You really know how to pack a punch. Where did you learn that?” he asked, the corners of his mouth turning up slightly.

“Now’s not the time for flattery. Let’s go get you cleaned up.” You guided him towards the bench and sat him down. “Keep clenching your nose shut and I’ll go get some tissues,” you instructed. He nodded. You made you way to the locker room and grabbed a handful of tissues. You quickly walked back to the bench where Steve was sitting and sat next to him.

“Here,” you handed him a couple. He took them and placed them at the base of his nose.

“Thank you,” he replied with a nasally voice.

 “I am so sorry, Steve. I didn’t think I was capable of hitting that hard.”

“It’s okay, really. I’ve had many nosebleeds in my day. I’ll recover in no time,” he gave you a reassuring smile. You smiled back.

“What is going on in here?” Tony bellowed from across the room. You looked away from Steve and watched Tony walk towards the two of you.

“Self-defense lessons,” you responded.

“I thought Steve was teaching you?” Tony asked.

“He is.”

“You sure? He looks like _he’s_ the one who needs self-defense lessons,” Tony snickered. You and Steve both rolled your eyes.

“Get out of here, Tony, or you’re next,” you warned with a smile. He raised his hands in defeat and turned towards the door. 

“Okay, okay. Just clean up Steve’s blood when you’re done. I don’t need this entire place to get contaminated.” You laughed and Steve shook his head.

“Alright, should we get back to it?” Steve asked.

“Yes, sir,” you nodded.


	4. Chapter 4

By the time Friday rolled around, you were a complete mess. You tossed and turned all night worrying about all the possible outcomes, good and bad. Well, mostly bad. You just couldn’t shake the feeling that something bad was going to happen. You knew the team would protect you at all costs, but that little voice in the back of your head kept asking ‘ _What if they couldn’t?_ ’. You pushed those thoughts away and got ready for your busy day ahead.

When you got to the Tower, you started your day off as usual. Tony didn’t say if you had the day off or not so you assumed not. You hoped the familiar routine would distract you from your worries. You dropped your coat and belongings off at the receptionist’s desk. You made you way towards the elevator and up to the Avenger’s private kitchen. Although it was much out of your way, you preferred their kitchen over the one your coworkers used. You enjoyed seeing the team every morning before you started your busy, repetitive day.

When you got to the kitchen, you were surprised to see Steve already there, sitting at the table with a cup of coffee in one hand, a newspaper in the other. “Morning, Steve,” you greeted. He looked up from his paper and smiled.

“Morning, doll.” You loved when he called you that. It made your heart flutter every time.

“What are you doing here already?” you questioned as you made your way to the coffee pot. He was usually out on his morning run at this time. You normally wouldn’t see him until a few hours into your workday.

“I wanted to make sure I saw you when you first got in,” he replied.

“Oh,” you raised your eyebrows. He got up and walked over to the counter where you were pouring yourself a cup of coffee.

“Look, Y/N, I just-are you sure you’re okay going through with this tonight?” he asked, his blue eyes never leaving yours. “I feel like no one really asked how _you_ felt about the whole matter.” You sighed and looked down at your now full coffee mug. If you were being honest, you were terrified. Going on a date with a man who was a threat to the Avengers and had the potential to kill you was not something to scoff at. But you knew if you told Steve how you really felt, he would take you off the mission in an instant. You knew the team desperately needed more information on HYDRA. You were their only chance. You _had_ to do this for them. If you told him and by some astronomically small chance he’d actually let you go, he would be worried sick the entire time. You couldn’t do that to him.

You looked back up at him, “I trust you guys will protect me if anything goes wrong. Like you said before, you’ll be right there with me,” you offered him a smile. He gave a hesitant nod and smiled. You could tell he didn’t fully believe you, but you knew he wouldn’t push the matter further.

“Alright. If you change your mind, you just let me know.”

“Aye aye, Captain,” you laughed as you gave him a salute. He laughed and looked down at the ground, rubbing the back of his neck. You noticed he was doing that a lot more often recently, which confused you. He only ever did that if he was nervous around someone. Why was he nervous now, especially around you?

You caught yourself staring at him too long and turned your focus back to your coffee, pouring just the right amount of cream and sugar into the mug. You took the mug in both hands and raised it towards your face, enjoying the warmth and aroma. Before you could enjoy your first sip of coffee for the day, you were interrupted by someone bellowing in the doorway.

“Good morning, my oblivious lovers! How are we on this lovely Friday morning?” Tony announced cheerfully. You sighed, deciding to ignore the nickname he called you and Steve. Out of the corner of your eye, you saw Steve give Tony a stern glare.

“It’s way too early for you to be this chipper, Tony,” you muttered. “Actually, I’m surprised you’re awake already.”

“Who says I went to bed?” he smirked. All you could do was shake your head. He probably _was_ up all night. Typical Tony.

“Anyway, I’m glad you’re here. We need to start getting ready for tonight,” he said.

“Now? It’s only 8:00. Can’t we start this later? I’ve got work to do,” you protested.

“Work is for the birds,” he waved his hand in dismissal.

“Well, this bird has bills to pay,” you said as you started walking out of the kitchen. Sam walked through the doorway just as you were about to make your escape.

“Mornin’, Y/N,” he greeted with a smile. You smiled back at him. You saw his smile start to falter when Tony walked towards him and put a hand on his shoulder.

“Speaking of birds,” Tony started.

“Nuh-uh, leave me out of whatever this is. It’s too early for your nonsense,” Sam objected.

“This bird here can fill in for you,” Tony continued, ignoring Sam’s protests.

“You want Sam to answer the phones all day?” you asked.

“Sure, why not,” Tony shrugged.

“Sorry, man,” Sam brushed Tony’s hand off his shoulder. “I don’t work for Tony Stank,” he smirked. You and Steve both chuckled.

“I see respecting your superiors is a thing of the past,” Tony scoffed.

“Tony’s right,” Steve cut in with sternness in his voice. “We should start getting ready for tonight. Better safe than sorry. We’ll have everyone meet in the common room in ten.” He gave you a final look before leaving the room.

“Yes, sir,” Sam nodded. He turned to Tony, “See? I do respect my superiors.” With a sly smile, he left the room.

“Wilson!” Tony yelled after him.

“You two are infuriating,” you groaned.

* * *

Roughly ten minutes later, you made your way to the common room. Sam and Bucky were already there sitting across from each other talking. It was no surprise that Tony wasn’t there yet. He was always late, or as he liked to call it, “fashionably late”. You were surprised; however, that Steve wasn’t there already. He was the most punctual person you knew, always on time for everything. So, his absence was slightly concerning.

“Where’s Steve?” you inquired, hoping at least one of them would know why he was uncharacteristically late.

“Oh, he’s talking to Tony. Said it was important,” Bucky replied. You nodded. His tardiness was definitely explainable then.

“Why? You miss him?” Sam asked with a smug smile.

“What? No,” you replied defensively, your cheeks turning slightly pink. “He’s just usually always on time.” Sam and Bucky gave each other a knowing look. Before you could protest further, Tony entered the room.

“Your fearless leader has arrived,” he exclaimed with his hands in the air.

“No he hasn’t,” Bucky retorted.

“Yeah, where is our fearless leader?” Sam smirked.

“He’s right-,” Tony paused, pinching the bridge of his nose in annoyance, “He’s been tasked with something else.” You felt yourself stiffen at his words. What could he possibly have to do today of all days? You thought he’d be there through the entire process, since he seemed so invested in the plan in the first place. You knew he was busy and as an Avenger, things always came up unexpectedly. But deep down, you _wanted_ him to be there for you.

“But, my other task force is back and ready for action,” he smiled at you.

“Wait,” you paused, a smile creeping on your lips. Tony nodded towards the door. You looked and saw Natasha and Wanda in the doorway with big smiles on their faces and shopping bags in their hands. You ran towards them and enveloped them in a hug. They instantly dropped the shopping bags and eagerly hugged you back.

“Sorry we’ve been MIA for so long,” Wanda professed.

“Tony asked us to do something that we just couldn’t say no to,” Natasha gave you a sympathetic smile.

“It’s okay, really. I’m just glad you’re here now,” you reassured them.

“I’ll leave you ladies to it,” Tony spoke. “As for you two,” he narrowed his eyes at Sam and Bucky. “Come with me,” he motioned as he left the room. They grumbled in response, but followed anyway.

“So what’s with the bags?” you motioned to the pile now splayed across the floor.

“We did a little shopping,” Wanda shrugged.

“And you didn’t invite me? I’m hurt,” you clenched your chest. Natasha rolled her eyes.

“You won’t be after we show you what we bought,” Natasha smirked.

“Oh?” you quirked an eyebrow and smiled.

* * *

You were currently doubled over on Wanda’s bed wiping tears from your eyes from laughing so hard.

“Ridiculous, isn’t it?” Wanda grinned.

“I can’t believe it,” you wheezed. “What does he think this is? Prom? Why are there so many frills?” you gestured towards the godawful dress Wanda held up. The dress was red, probably the only good choice on Tony’s part. It was strapless with a sweetheart neckline and a mermaid style cut with so. Many. Frills. The entire bottom half looked like a giant shower loofah.

“He was serious about this one,” Wanda noted.

“Can you see why we _had_ to help him when he asked?” Natasha asked.

“Yes!” you exclaimed.

“He did say we couldn’t stray too far from his original idea,” Wanda said reluctantly while grabbing the bag next to her.

“Oh no,” you murmured. She reached into the bag and slowly pulled out the next dress. You closed your eyes and grimaced, preparing yourself for the worst.

“Oh please, Y/N, do you really think we’d willingly let you wear a dress like that?” Natasha questioned.

“You’re right, you’re right,” you admitted. You opened your eyes and gasped when you saw the new dress Wanda held. This dress was also red. It had an A-line cut just above the knee and a jewel neckline. Simple and elegant. But most importantly, there were no frills.

“Wow,” you whispered.

“Definitely an improvement,” Natasha commented.

“I’ll say,” you stood up from the bed and walked towards Wanda. She handed you the dress and you took it. You walked towards the full length mirror next to Wanda’s bed and held it in front of your body to get a vague idea of how it looked on you.

“It looks good,” Wanda grinned.  

“You two are the best. Thank you,” you smiled, placing the dress on the bed and gathering them into a hug.

“Anything for you,” Wanda beamed.

“So,” you paused. “What’s in the other bags?” Natasha and Wanda looked at each other and smiled.

* * *

A few hours later, you, Natasha, and Wanda had gone through all the bags and completed the perfect outfit. They ended up buying numerous accessories, shoes, and jackets to pair with the dress. You all decided on black opaque tights, black heeled ankle boots with silver accents, silver studded earrings, and a gray wool coat to complete the ensemble.

“So,” Natasha spoke as she put the wool coat on a hanger. “What does Steve think about all of this?”

“Take a wild guess,” you said flatly.

“Not a fan, huh?” Wanda asked.

“Nope,” you said, popping the ‘p’.

“Did he say why?” Wanda asked.

“He’s just worried is all,” you replied. “But I guess that’s understandable. I don’t blame him. I’d be worried, too if he was going on a date with a HYDRA assassin.”

“He wasn’t worried when I did,” Natasha stated as she hung the coat in the closet.

“Okay, but you can hold your ground. You’re a trained assassin. I, on the other hand, am not.”

“True,” she hummed as she sat next to you and Wanda.

“I think he’s a little extra worried, because it’s you,” Wanda commented.

“And jealous,” Natasha added.

“Jealous?” you asked in disbelief, furrowing your brows. “Why?”

“Oh, I think you know why,” she said firmly. Were they implying what you thought they were implying? Was Steve really more worried because it was you going on this mission? Was he really jealous that you were going on a date with another man? Did this mean he felt something more than friendship for you?

“You know,” Natasha continued, “I think you’d be jealous, too if he was the one going on the date.”

“No,” you laughed nervously.

“That isn’t very convincing, Y/N,” Natasha replied.

“I can get to the bottom of this real fast,” Wanda raised her hands as they started to glow red.

“You stay out of my head,” you shot a look at Wanda. The red glow instantly disappeared.

“When were you going to tell us?” Natasha asked.

“I-I don’t know,” you sighed, feeling embarrassed and defeated. “I didn’t want anyone to know. You know how people get around here when they know too much.” They both nodded in agreement.

“Well,” Natasha gave you a sheepish grin, “you haven’t been very subtle about it.”

“Dammit,” you muttered under your breath. “I was so careful. What gave me away?” You asked sincerely, hoping it was something only Natasha and Wanda would notice and not everyone else.

“The longing looks, the laughing, inside jokes, innocent touches, the flirtatious-”

“Okay” you blurted, cutting her off. You took a deep breath, collecting yourself. “How long have you known?”

“Awhile,” she replied and Wanda nodded.  You sighed.

“Why didn’t you guys ever say anything?” you asked.

“We wanted you to tell us when you were ready,” Wanda replied. You smiled. You appreciated that they knew and didn’t pry.

“Who else knows?” you asked.

“Pretty much everyone,” Natasha answered. You groaned and put your head in your hands.

“Except Steve,” Wanda added.

“But that’s no surprise,” Natasha shrugged. “You two are the definition of ‘oblivious lovers’”.

O _blivious Lovers_. Tony called you and Steve that just this morning. It all started to add up. Tony’s nicknames and snide comments, Sam and Bucky’s suggestive remarks and glances. That meant Natasha and Wanda were right. Everyone _did_ know. And you were just now realizing it. But Steve _didn’t_ know. You were thankful he was pretty clueless. You didn’t want him to know. It was almost shameful that you liked him. He deserved someone strong and skillful. Someone who could hold their own. Someone he didn’t have to worry so much about.

“You know,” Wanda spoke, distracting you from your current thoughts, “he does deserve someone like you.”

“Wanda,” you cried, “I told you to stay out of my head,” you gave her a sharp glare. She gave you a guilty grin.

“So, when are you going to tell him?” Natasha butted in.

“I’m not,” you responded flatly. You stood up and walked towards the closet.

“You can’t avoid this forever,” Wanda pleaded. You turned back to face her and Natasha.

“What he doesn’t know won’t hurt him,” you stated with a shrug. You really didn’t want to tell him. Definitely not today. Or ever. You turned back to the closet to grab the dress. “I’m going to get ready.” They both sighed at your response.

“Alright, but as soon as this date is over, we’re revisiting this conversation,” Natasha announced.

“Okay,” you mumbled. You knew they were right. You should tell him. You told each other everything. You were mad at him earlier this week, because he wasn’t upfront with you. And yet, you were acting the same way. But you were scared. Scared of rejection. Scared of losing him, losing his friendship. Scared of what would happen if he did feel the same way. But that had to wait. Getting intel on HYDRA was your main priority for the day. That and surviving this date.


	5. Chapter 5

“Are you ready?” Wanda asked. You sighed, giving yourself a final once-over in the mirror. You took a deep breath and turned towards Wanda and Natasha.

 “As ready as I’ll ever be,” you shrugged.

 “Alright, let’s go,” Natasha started to walk out the door and you and Wanda followed suit. You walked down the corridor towards the elevator. Your nerves were starting to pick up. Time seemed to pass by slower and slower with each step. You wanted to get this over with, but you also didn’t want it to start. Wanda wrapped her arm around your side and gave you a squeeze. You were sure she could sense your nervousness.

Natasha pressed the down arrow and the elevator arrived with a ding almost instantly. You all stepped inside and awaited your descent to the common room where everyone else was waiting. The ride down was agonizingly quiet until Natasha spoke up. 

“You’re going to do great,” she encouraged.

“Thank you,” you breathed, your nerves still wreaking havoc inside you making you unable to truly express how thankful you were for her support.

You felt the elevator slow down to a stop and watched as the doors opened to the common room. Natasha and Wanda stepped out first and you followed quickly behind. 

 “There’s our spy in training,” Tony greeted with a smile, giving you a hug.  You smiled and hugged him back. Over his shoulder, you glanced at Steve. He was already looking at you smiling. Tony released you from his embrace and looked at you puzzled.

“This isn’t the dress I bought,” he looked to Natasha and Wanda. They both shrugged.

“Tony, that dress was a crime against humanity. There’s no way in hell I’d be caught dead in that thing,” you replied.

“Wait, now I’m curious,” Sam spoke up.

“Yeah, what did he buy?” Steve asked.

“You guys ever seen a shower loofah?” You asked. They nodded. “Basically that. But as a dress.”

“I’m not a fashion expert,” Sam started, “but that sounds awful.”

“You’d think a billionaire would have better taste,” Bucky muttered. You all laughed, but Tony.

“Maybe it was a joke,” he shrugged, walking towards the kitchen area of the common room. You looked at him skeptically. “Maybe,” he paused, grabbing a glass and pouring himself a drink, “I wanted to see if Y/N would actually wear it.” You rolled your eyes and shook your head.

“Thankfully Natasha and Wanda stepped in and saved my ass,” you laughed.

“Speaking of saving asses,” Natasha looked up from her phone, “Wanda and I have to go save Clint and Vison’s.”

“We’re so sorry, Y/N,” Wanda gave you an apologetic smile.

“It’s okay,” you waved her off. “You two have helped me more than you know. Thank you,” you gave them a sincere smile. They gave you one final hug before heading out of the room.

“Well, the cab is waiting outside. You should probably get going. You don’t want to be fashionably late,” Tony offered with a smile.

“We wouldn’t want that, now would we?” you joked. You were glad everyone was their normal, lighthearted self. You felt your nerves ease slightly.

“Here’s your ear comm,” Tony handed you the small device. You took it and put it in your ear. You checked the pockets in your coat for your wallet and phone, confirming you had everything else you needed.

“Alright,” you breathed. “Let’s get this bastard.”

“I’ll walk you down to your cab,” Steve said as he approached you. You nodded and followed him into the elevator. Once the elevator doors closed, you closed your eyes, trying to keep yourself calm.

“I’m, uh, I’m glad Natasha and Wanda got you that dress instead,” Steve spoke up. You opened your eyes and looked at him. “You look really beautiful in that dress, Y/N.” You felt your cheeks heat up instantly.

“Thank you, Steve,” you smiled. He ducked his head and rubbed the back of his neck, the tips of his ears turning pink. You still found it so odd that he kept doing that around you. You thought back to the conversation you had with Natasha and Wanda earlier. They didn’t directly say he had feelings for you, too. But they _heavily_ implied it. Maybe they were right. But this was the only behavior that lead you to believe he might like you as well. Was there something else you were missing?

The elevator doors opened and you walked out to the lobby with Steve. He led you towards the front of the building where you could see the cab waiting outside. He paused right in front of the door.

“Not letting me go, Rogers?” you teased.

“No, no,” he laughed. “I have something for you.”

“Oh?” you raised your eyebrows. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a delicate necklace with a small crystal pendant. You blinked and looked up at him in confusion.

“It’s a tracking device.”

“Wow, that’s impressive.”

“I thought we weren’t taking enough precautions, so talked to Tony and we came up with this.” You smiled at him, his concern for you warming your heart.

He unclasped the necklace and lifted it up. “May I?” he asked. You nodded and turned around, moving your hair out of the way. You felt his warm fingers graze across your skin delicately. Your skin tingled from his touch. You looked down and touched the tiny pendant admiring it.

“Thank you, Steve. Really, thank you.” He smiled at you.

“I wouldn’t thank me just yet,” he replied. “There _is_ a catch.”

“Oh no,” you sighed.

“Tony programed it to send us a signal when you say a certain phrase…”

“Of course he did,” you groaned, pinching the bridge of your nose. “What is it?”

“’Where’s Iron Man when you need him?’” he answered with a remorseful smile.

“I’m not even surprised,” you let out a laugh. “Remind me to kill him when I get back.”

“Will do,” he chuckled.

You looked out the window at the cab. This was it. You were about to actually go through with this. You felt more confident than you did a few days ago. You watched the team put a lot of effort forming this plan and preparing for any outcome. Seeing Natasha and Wanda helped, too. You knew if anything happened, they would be there for you. You gathered up one last once of courage and turned towards the door.

“Well, it’s now or never,” you said as you reached for the door handle.

“Y/N, wait,” Steve reached out and grabbed your hand, pulling you into a tight hug. You wrapped your arms around him and hugged back. This hug felt different from the many times you’ve hugged Steve before. It felt desperate, but strong. It felt reassuring, and welcoming, and tender, and warm, and… _home_. You felt like this was exactly where you needed to be in this moment.  

“You’re gonna do great,” he mumbled in your hair. You squeezed him tighter, not wanting to let him go.

“I hate to ruin this incredibly cheesy moment, but we should get going,” Tony interrupted. You and Steve loosened from each other’s embrace. You instantly missed his warmth.

“Oh, I see Steve gave you the necklace,” Tony commented. “Enjoy the catchphrase?” he smiled slyly.

“When all of this is over, I’m coming for you, Stark,” you smirked. He and Steve laughed.

You waved to the both of them and opened the door. You looked one last time to Steve before walking out the door and into the cab.

* * *

The cab pulled up outside a tall building, ‘Le Bernardin’ glowing in the darkness of the evening. You thanked the cab driver and opened the cab door, stepping outside. You flattened out your dress and walked towards the entrance. The doorman greeted you with a small smile and opened the door. You walked inside and were overwhelmed at how high end the place was. The pictures Tony showed you only touched the surface of how fancy this place actually was.

You walked up to the hostess and told her you were meeting someone here. She told you he was already here and you felt your stomach twist. No time to mentally prepare yourself before he got here like you originally hoped. You followed the hostess as she weaved through the tables. As you were inching closer, you saw him. His black, slicked back hair glistening under the decorative light over the table.

The hostess gestured for you to take a seat and told you your waiter would be out shortly. You nodded. You turned towards the man sitting at the table and put out your hand.

“Nice to finally meet you, Will,” you gave him a smile. He took your hand and shook it. 

“And you as well, Y/N,” he smiled back at you.

“Were you waiting long?” you asked.

“No, not too long,” he replied.

You nodded and picked up the menu in front of you. Your heart nearly stopped when you saw how expensive everything was. Tony was definitely out of his mind. The fancy, over-the-top atmosphere made you feel very out of your element.

“Do you know what you want to order?” Will asked. You looked at him and then back down at the menu.

“Uhh,” you paused.

 _The lamb is really good_. You heard Tony say in your ear. You jumped a little, completely forgetting that you had an ear comm in your ear.

“I’ve heard the lamb is really good,” you answered.

 _I’ve heard the lamb is really expensive_. Bucky commented. You had to chock back a laugh from his jab at Tony.

“Do you know what you want?” you asked.

“Yes,” he replied flatly.  

“Okay,” you said quickly, surprised by his curt response. Tonight was going to be a long night.

The waitress made her way to the table and you both placed your order. She took your menus and said your food would be out shortly.

“So, Y/N, what do you do for a living?” he asked.

“Oh, I’m a receptionist,” you answered.

“Really? Where at?” he asked curiously. You could’ve sworn you heard a hint of skepticism in his voice.

 _Lie! Don’t blow your cover_. Tony scolded.

“Uhh,” you paused, “at a paper company.”

 _Someone’s been watching too many episodes of The Office_ , you heard Tony snicker in your ear.

“It’s not very exciting, so I’ll spare you the details,” you said quickly. “What about you?” you asked, hoping he’d do more of the talking. This wasn’t getting off to a good start.

“I work for an organization that focuses on making the world a,” he paused, “better place.”

“Wow, that’s great,” you said, trying to sound enthusiastic. You heard Tony and Sam scoff in your ear. You had to resist the urge to yell at them to knock it off. Their commentary was starting to distract you. “So, do you, uhh, work in New York City then?” you asked.

“One of our main offices is here in the city, but we’ve got offices located all over the world,” he answered. His responses were so vague. You feared you wouldn’t be able to get more out of him.

“So, do you travel a lot then?” you asked.

“When needed, yeah.” You nodded your head.

“Where’s the best place you’ve traveled? For work or for leisure,” you asked.

“Probably Europe,” he replied flatly. This guy was really giving you nothing to work with.

 _This guy is impossible! Keep nudging him about Europe. There’s got to be somewhere specific._ Tony urged.

“Europe, really? I’ve always wanted to go there. Do you have any recommendations of countries I should visit?” you asked.

“Poland is nice. Russia has a bad rep, but it’s nice there. I visit there often,” he replied. Finally, something you could work with.

“Good to know!” you said a little too enthusiastically. “I’ve heard Moscow is beautiful.”

“That’s where all the tourists go,” he scoffed. His rudeness startled you. “If you want a true, authentic Russian experience,” he said in a hushed tone, “you should go to-“

“Excuse me,” the waitress interrupted.

_Oh, for the love of-_

_Tony_. Steve warned. 

“I forgot to bring out your basket of bread rolls. Here you go,” she said as she placed a basket of warm rolls in the middle of the table.

“Thank you,” you smiled at her. You turned your attention back to Will.

“Ladies first,” he gestured towards the rolls. You nodded and reached for one. As you pulled your hand back, you accidentally brushed up against your glass. Before you knew it, your lap was covered in freezing cold water.

“Oh my go-I’m so sorry!” you gasped. “I, uhh, I need to go-I’m gonna go clean this up,” you scrambled up from your seat and rushed towards the bathroom.

 _Everything okay in there, Y/N?_ Steve asked. You stayed silent. This wasn’t how you wanted this to go at all. You almost blew your cover and the date had just started. Why were you such a blubbering mess? You were usually more put together than this. And why wasn’t Will being more forthcoming? You thought you were asking basic get to know you questions. Disguising them, of course, but he didn’t know that.

“I don’t think I can do this,” you muttered.

 _Don’t worry, kiddo. You’re doing great. This guy’s hard to crack._ Tony encouraged.

You shook your head, despite the fact that none of them could see you. “You don’t understand. **I am very, _very_ bad under pressure**. I think that’s pretty obvious.”

 _You’re better under pressure than you give yourself credit for_ , Steve said sincerely.

You sighed. “I don’t know, Steve. I’m pretty bad out there. I don’t understand why I can’t get him to talk. All the guys I’ve ever gone on dates with never shut up. I’m used to never getting a word in. What am I doing wrong? Am I coming off as unapproachable? Oh god, what if he suspects something? What if he-”

 _Hey, hey, hey, calm down. You’re doing just fine_. Steve assured. _Take a deep breath. If he does suspect something, we’re right outside.  
_

“You’re right, you’re right,” you mumbled. You were protected by the best in the business. And you felt like this was truly their only chance to get this guy. You had to go back out there and forget about your insecurities and worries. You had to do it for them, the people who meant so much to you, who brightened your day, who made you want to make the world a better place. You took a deep breath and headed back to the table.

You sat back down and gave Will an apologetic smile. “I’m so sorry about that.”

“That sure did take a long time,” he said with a trace of suspicion in his voice. You gulped.

“The, uhh, hand dryer was broken. Only blew out cold air,” you responded. “So, where were we? I feel like I still know nothing about you.”

“Let’s start with why we both swiped right on each other’s Tinder profile. Well, in your case, you gave my profile a ‘Super Like’,” he said, his tone getting darker the more he spoke.

“Well,” you paused, “believe it or not, but you’re definitely my type. Tall, dark, and mysterious. Women go crazy for men like that.”

 _I can vouch for that. I’m tall, dark, AND mysterious. The ladies love me_. Tony gloated.

 _You’re not tall, man_. Sam corrected.

“Hmm,” he nodded. You sat there in silence for a moment until you spoke up.

“What about you? Why did you agree to meet up with me anyway?” you questioned.

Static from your earpiece suddenly startled you. You heard a fuzzy voice speak. _Y/N…think…breaking up…_ you heard who you thought was Tony. You were confused by his weird, choppy sentence, so you decided to ignore him and pay closer attention to Will.

“Same reason you did,” he smirked. But this wasn’t a flirty “I think you’re cute” smirk. This was a villainous “I’m up to no good” smirk.

“Oh, so I’m you’re type, too. Great!” you said with excitement, hoping he couldn’t hear the panic in your voice. Something definitely wasn’t right, but you couldn’t leave until you got the OK from the team.

“Hey,” Will said as he grabbed your hand and leaned in closer to you. “Do you wanna get out of here?” he whispered.

“Uhh,” you paused, “but our food hasn’t come out yet. Don’t want to leave on an empty stomach.” You hoped that would buy you some more time.

 _Y/N…safe…get out!_ Steve yelled. The urgency of his voice surprised you, but you complied without a second thought.

“Actually, yeah, let’s get out of here.” You stood up from your seat and waited for Will to do the same. He linked his arm in yours, a bit firmer than you would’ve liked, and walked towards the back of the restaurant.

“Wait, isn’t the entrance the other way?” you asked, panic in your voice. He ignored you and pulled on you harder. You tried to pull out of his grip, but he was much stronger than you were. He led you through a door in the back that opened to a dark alleyway. Your eyes couldn’t adjust to the darkness fast enough before you felt a sharp pain in the back of your head. After that, everything went black. 


	6. Chapter 6

You awoke with a groan, a persistent throbbing in your head. You reached your hand to the back of your head to try to relieve the incessant ache, but felt an immediate pull at your arm that stopped it from reaching your head. You opened your eyes sluggishly, a wave of grogginess washing over you. You looked down to your hands and saw your wrists tied with ropes to the arms of the chair you were sitting in. You tried to move your legs, but found they were also tied to the legs of the chair. Great. 

You looked to your surroundings and found yourself in a dimly lit aisle that stretched for what seemed like forever. There were old, wooden pallets scattered on either side of you and piles stacked on top of each other. There were other stacks that had several black boxes on them that were wrapped tightly with plastic to keep them from falling off the pallets. They looked like they were ready to be shipped somewhere.

The ceiling was unbelievably high. The immense size of the building you were in made you feel small and helpless. Maybe that was intentional. Towering metal racks with shelves of black boxes surrounded you. You could make out some sort of writing on the boxes. It was in a foreign language that you were pretty certain was Russian. The air was musty and damp. Whatever this place was, a warehouse you guessed, it smelled as if not much life had inhabited it for quite some time. Where could a building this big be in New York City? Were you even _in_ New York City anymore? How long had you been knocked out?

You winced as another sharp pain pulsed through your head. You closed your eyes and hung your head low. You groaned, desperately craving to massage the pain away. This wasn’t supposed to happen. Everyone was so careful. The plan was supposed to be foolproof. Where did you go wrong?

You thought back to what you remembered last. You were being brutally tugged by the arm by Will and exited the restaurant through the back door. And then everything went black. But why? All the doors were covered. Who was covering the back door?

“Shit,” you muttered to yourself, eyes widening in realization. Steve. It was Steve. This was _exactly_ what he was afraid would happen. This is what he tried so hard to prevent. You knew he was probably blaming himself for this. No, he was definitely, without a doubt blaming himself for this. Your heart ached for him, for the pain and worry he was feeling. You could just see him now, pacing endlessly around the tower, probably in the common room. His restlessness and anxiety eating him alive. Or he was in the training room, violently battering a punching bag until it couldn’t handle the force anymore. You could see him taking all the anger and frustration out on himself. Losing sleep, not eating, distancing himself from the others until he formed a plan to find you. And if he didn’t, if he couldn’t find you…you did _not_ want to think about that.

You started to hear footsteps echoing from somewhere in the building. As they inched closer, you held your breath. Questions flooded your mind. What were you going to do? What were you going to say? What did they want? What were they going to do to you? How were you going to get out of here?

What would the Avengers do in a situation like this? Would they even be in a situation like this? You laughed silently to yourself. Of course not. But if they _were_ , what would they do? Natasha would use her assassin skills, seduction and martial arts, neither of which you had. Steve would use his strength, which you didn’t have either. Bucky would just use his arm, an aspect of himself you knew he didn’t like, but you secretly always admired the sheer power and force of it. Sam would…actually, you weren’t sure what he would do. He’d probably talk their ear off to be honest. You’d let him go after about an hour of his endless griping and rambling. Tony would use his tech and gadgets. You didn’t have any of…yes, yes you _did_. The necklace Steve gave you. You snapped your head down to see if it was still around your neck. Sure enough, it was. Thank God Steve was so worried. Now you actually had a chance of the team finding you. You just had to work that damn catchphrase into conversation casually without causing suspicion.

The footsteps echoed closer and closer. You could see a figure at the end of the long aisle of racks making their way towards you. As they inched closer, you could make out Will’s features, his wide shoulders, sharp jawline, and his greasy dark hair. It shined underneath the lights as he approached. _God_ , how you hated his hair. He stopped a few feet in front of you, not getting too close, which you were thankful for.

“Well, well, look who’s finally awake,” he smirked, his voice low and playful. You looked at him, not speaking. “Did you have a nice nap?” he cooed. You glared at him. “Yeah, that’s what I thought.”

He walked closer and knelt down until he was inches from your face. Your breath hitched at the close proximity of the two of you. His eyes bore into you. He didn’t speak, only examining your features. You shifted in your seat slightly, the weight of his gaze making you incredibly uncomfortable. If he was trying to intimidate you, it was working. He noticed you shift and smirked again.

“I know who you are,” he whispered. “Who you _really_ are.” You gulped. You had to stay calm and collected. Maybe he was making that up to scare you.

“You don’t really work at a paper company, do you, Miss Y/N Y/L/N?” he asked, his voice lowering when he said your name. You looked straight into his eyes, but didn’t answer. You could see your silence sparked anger in him, his eyes narrowing.

He abruptly grabbed the back of the chair with his right hand and tilted it back, threatening to let you fall and topple over. The sudden shift in gravity caused you to panic inside, your eyes widening.

“Listen,” he growled, “if you want any chance of me sparing your insignificant life, you need to talk. Got it?” You nodded quickly. He saw your silent agreement and pushed the chair back upright with a slam.

“Good.”

“So,” you breathed, “what tipped you off?” You asked, your voice horse and dry but with a hint of anger.

“Please,” he scoffed as he stood up and walked behind the chair so you couldn’t see him, “there’s no way a receptionist could afford a restaurant like that.” Damn Stark and his expensive taste.

“And besides,” he continued, walking around the chair to face you, “we have met before,” he said with a low voice.

“No,” you shook your head. “I would’ve remembered your repulsive face.”

“Hmm,” he hummed. “What about my voice?” he asked, inching closer to you. You sat there, trying to remember if you really had heard his voice before. You talked to hundreds of people a day. The phone also distorted voices, too. If you had really talked to him before, there was no way you would’ve remembered.

“I’ve called Stark Industries multiple times, actually. I’m disappointed you didn’t remember me.” You scowled at him. “Not as cunning as you thought you were, huh?” he crooned.

“What do you want from me?” you demanded.

“Impatient, aren’t we?” he snickered.

“What do you want?” you pressed again.

“Answers,” he stated.

“And what makes you think I’m going to give them to you?” you tested. He smirked and walked towards one of the stacks that had several black boxes on them wrapped in plastic.

“Now, I’m sure you’re no linguistic genius, but if you look at these,” he gestured to the boxes on the shelves with Russian written on them, “they have words on them that mean a great deal. I’m not going to translate them, because you’re not significant enough to know. But what I will tell you is they allude to destruction. Mass destruction.

“And this right here,” he walked towards the pallet of wrapped boxes and leaned against them, “is a small gift for your little friends. In a matter of seconds, that ugly tower in Manhattan and everyone in it will be reduced to nothing.”

You took a deep breath. This wasn’t good, at all. You had no idea HYDRA had this much power. Hell, you didn’t think the Avengers had any idea either. They wouldn’t be expecting it at all. You had no choice but to comply.

“Okay,” you agreed. “What do you want to know?”

“Uh-uh, it’s not that simple,” he walked towards you and waved a finger. “You could literally say anything to me. I have to know you’re not lying.”

“Okay, so what are you going to do? Make me drink a truth serum? Tie me up in the Lasso of Truth?” you quipped.

“Oh, just you wait,” he responded, walking closer to you.

“What do you-”

You were cut off when he stuck something sharp in the side of your neck, causing you to black out instantly. 

* * *

You woke up again, feeling even worse than you did before. Your senses were bleary and your focus was blurry. Your head ached and you felt nauseous. Whatever he stabbed you with was definitely doing its job. Maybe it really was a truth serum.

You found yourself in a completely new location. You were in a small white room. The ceiling wasn’t as high as it was inside the warehouse, but it was still tall enough to make you feel tiny and insignificant. You were strapped to a different chair. This one was metal. Metallic clamps secured your arms and legs to the chair. Directly across from you was a glass window. You could make out two figures talking to each other. Your vision was distorted, but you could tell one of them was Will. The other one, a man, was much smaller than Will. He was sitting behind what looked to be a switchboard of sorts. You saw Will make his way past the other man and through the door that connected to the room you were in.

“You’re really good at blacking out. Is that your superpower?” Will mocked. He grabbed a wooden chair and sat down in front of you.

“Fuck off,” you spat.

“So feisty. If only it was actually intimidating,” he sneered. He looked over his shoulder to his partner. “Are we ready, Vlad?” Vlad gave him a thumbs up and nodded. Will turned back to you and smiled.

“Before we begin,” he said, shifting his weight in the chair, “let’s go over a few things. First, that chair you’re in is astonishingly advanced. More advanced than what even Tony Stark is capable of creating.”

“Sure,” you scoffed.

“You don’t have to believe me, that’s fine. You’ll find out soon enough,” he shrugged. “It can detect the slightest hint of hesitation and deception. If you even think of telling us a lie, it will know.” Okay, that was intimidating.

“And,” he continued, “that’s where our lovely Vlad comes in. Once the chair alerts him that you’re lying, he’ll flip a switch and hundreds of volts of electricity will be sent your way. Only to discourage you from lying again.” And not to kill you, of course. He didn’t sound very convincing.

“Shall we begin?”

“Ask away,” you answered. You could do this. All you had to do was give half-truths. Truths that were, well, _true_ , but not exactly what he was looking for.

He pushed the wooden chair out of the way and started to walk around you, his hands clasped behind his back. “This is a simple question, one I’m sure you’ll be able to answer, since you seem to know each of the Avengers on a _personal_ level.” You licked your dry lips in anticipation and let out a ragged breath.

“What are their weaknesses?” he finally asked.

 “Uhh,” you stammered.

 “Allow me to make it a little simpler for you. What is Black Widow’s weakness?” he asked.

“No weakness,” you responded flatly. He looked over to the glass and Vlad gave him a nod.

“Okay,” he paused, “Hawkeye?”

“Arrows.”

“What?”

“Arrows,” you repeated.

“That doesn’t-he’s an archer,” he argued.

“I don’t know what to tell you, man,” you shrugged.

“Fine,” he waved you off. You bit your lip to keep yourself from smiling. You could tell your short answers were frustrating him. You weren’t lying, but you definitely weren’t telling the full truth either. You just hoped he wouldn’t catch on to the little game you were playing.  

“Iron Man?”

“I have no idea,” you answered.

“Vlad!” he yelled.

“Wait, wait. I’m being serious,” you defended. “That man is so complex. If you’ve ever met him, you would know that.” He mumbled something under his breath at your response.

“Captain America?”

“Butter Pecan ice cream. The guy can eat a whole tub of that stuff in one sitting.”

“This is getting us nowhere,” he hissed. He turned his back towards you and faced the glass. “Vlad, turn on the machine,” he commanded.

“She’s telling the truth, sir,” you heard Vlad’s muffled voice through the glass.  

“What am I supposed to do?” He spat as he turned back to face you. “Drown Captain America in a vat of Butter Pecan ice cream?”

“I don’t know. I’m not the evil mastermind here. That’s your job.” You could see that your comment flipped a switch in Will, his whole demeanor changing. He was no longer trying to appear calm and intimidating. He was _fuming_. His face contorted, his mouth twisted into a snarl. He was like a loose cannon, ready to explode at any moment, and you were the only target. You were in trouble, big trouble.

He marched out of the room and behind the glass window. You could hear the two men arguing with each other, but couldn’t make out what they were saying. Things started to get physical as Will pushed Vlad away from the controls. Will looked directly at you with seething eyes, smirked, and then flipped a switch on the switchboard.

Instantly, you felt a strong crushing, stabbing pain start in your chest and make its way to your limbs. You cried out in pain. After a few seconds it stopped. You hunched forward, gasping for air.

“Had enough, Princess?” Will yelled through the glass. 

Was it worth it? Was it worth it to give up? To give him what he wanted? Or should you hold your ground? What little ground you had anyway. You thought back to the team, the group of people you had come to care for so dearly. For the person you had come to love so deeply. You had to stay strong for them. For _Steve_.

Will took your lack in response as a ‘no’, and flipped another switch. You screamed out in pain again. Your eyes squeezed shut and you grit your teeth. This time lasted a lot longer than the previous time. Suddenly, everything stopped. With ragged breaths, you looked to the glass. Will was flipping switches on and off, but nothing was happening. He turned to Vlad and started to yell at him. Vlad stood behind the switchboard and tried flipping switches as well. When nothing continued to happen, Will yelled at Vlad one last time before entering the room you were in.

“Technical difficulties?” you asked, your voice dry. He glared at you and folded his arms across his chest. “Where’s Iron Man when you need him?” you smirked. You felt the necklace around your neck vibrate slightly, signaling it heard the catchphrase and was hopefully sending the team your location.  

Luckily, Will didn’t seem to notice the necklace move. He walked closer in front of you and spoke, “Let’s continue where we left off. I still have a few more questions for you.”

“So do I,” you stated.

“Oh?” he quirked a brow.

“Yeah,” you nodded. This whole ordeal was intended for you to get information on HYDRA. You knew you had a limited time before the team got here, so you had to act fast. You had to bring back something to the team.

“If you have the weaponry and power to demolish Avengers Tower, then why haven’t you done it already? That is if you really have what you say you have. Those could be empty boxes for all I know.”

“They’re not-”

“Do you not have the authority to make that call?” He clenched his jaw. “Ahh, so you don’t. That must be infuriating. Having _all_ these resources and no ability to use it.

“And why go through all this trouble? To prove a point to your superiors? To show them that you’re more capable than they give you credit for? That you deserve to move up in the ranks and start calling the shots?” You inquired. “Or were you just _that_ desperate to get a date?” He stared at you hard, not responding.

“Look, I’ll give you a few pointers. Ladies aren’t really into the mirror selfies. It makes you come off as a douchebag. Unless, of course, that’s the look you’re going for. And for the love of God, do something with that hair. Cut it, use less hair gel, do so-”

His hand smacked across your face, the skin stinging instantly. Your head swung to the side, your eyes watering from the sudden pain. You could taste blood in your mouth. You bowed your head, scarlet drops beginning to collect on your black opaque tights.

 “I’m done listening to you, bitch. Your time is up,” he spat.

All of a sudden, a loud blaring alarm began to ring throughout the building. The lights dimmed and red flashing light filled the space around you.

“Actually,” you looked up at him with a smirk, “I believe your time is up.”

He scrambled out of the room and barked orders at Vlad, causing him to leave in a hurry. He strode back into the room you were in and began to release the metal clasps around your hands and feet.

“You’re coming with me,” he commanded. He pulled you up from the chair and stood you on your feet. Your legs felt like noodles, collapsing beneath you from the pain they endured just minutes before. He grabbed you by the shoulders and lifted you up again. You fell to your knees once more, unable to make your legs hold your weight.

He looked down at you, the door that connected to the main hallway, then back down to you. You could see beads of sweat start to form on his forehead. His breathing quickened, the stress of the situation obviously getting to him.

“You’re not going to win this,” you stated. He looked at you one last time before leaving the room rapidly.

Knowing your legs were currently useless, you used your arms to crawl towards the door that lead to the hallway. You had to get out of this room and to somewhere more traveled so someone could find you. Once you made it to the door, you reached up and grabbed the handle, the door swinging open. You peeked your head out to see if you could make your escape unnoticed. You heard gunshots around the corner and quickly ducked back into the room and closed the door, not wanting to be caught in the crossfire. You turned around and pressed your back against the door. You closed your eyes and sighed.

“They will find you, they will find you,” you muttered to yourself.

Suddenly, you felt the door behind you open and you fell backwards. Before you hit the ground, a pair of strong arms caught you. You turned around and saw Steve crouching in front of you.

“Steve,” you breathed, tears starting to form in your eyes. He enveloped you in a tight hug.

“You’re okay, Y/N. I’ve got you,” he mumbled in your hair, squeezing you tighter.

You let out a sob, the realization of everything that happened finally hitting you. The pain that you went through, physical and emotional. But you didn’t have to worry about that anymore. You were finally back in the caring, compassionate arms you longed for.

“You’re okay, you’re okay,” he repeated to reassure you, and himself, that you were finally safe.


	7. Chapter 7

A constant beeping rang through your ears. It was pleasant, steady. You felt calm and at peace, something you hadn’t felt all week. Your limbs felt relaxed and rejuvenated instead of weak and heavy just moments ago. At least, it felt like just moments ago. Your eyes fluttered open, easing yourself back into the world. A stark white ceiling and fluorescent lights hovered over you. You caught movement out of the side of your eye and turned your head to the left. Leaves from trees blew in the wind just outside the window. Rays of sunlight streamed through the rectangular glass. Birds chirped faintly in the background. You sighed in content.

You weren’t sure how you got where you were now. Your memory was hazy at best. You remembered the overwhelming feeling of relief when Steve found you and rescued you from the clutches of HYDRA. After he found you in that small white room, your limbs too weak to stand, he carried you through the seemingly never ending warehouse. You heard alarms blare and men yell throughout the dimly lit building. Bullets ricocheted off his shield as you made your escape, both of you clinging to each other tighter and tighter.

You remember making it to the Quinjet, Clint’s concerned but smiling face greeted you from the pilot seat. Steve laid you down on a stretcher that was close to the cockpit of the jet. You heard him say something to Clint before he turned his attention back to you. Unfortunately, this was where things started to get fuzzy. You knew Steve talked to you, asked you questions, comforted you, but you couldn’t remember any of the specifics. The last thing you clearly remembered was Steve repeatedly calling out your name before everything went black once again.

You looked out at the rest of the room and saw Steve slumped over at your right side. He sat in a chair that was pulled up right next to the side of the bed. His arms were folded on top of the bed and his head rested on top of them. He somehow looked both peaceful and stressed at the same time. His eyelashes laid perfectly on his cheeks. His mouth was slightly open, his breathing slow and steady. His eyebrows were slightly creased, which gave way to the unease he was so obviously feeling. The corners of your mouth turned up slightly. You were glad he was sleeping. You swore that man never seemed to sleep enough. It also warmed your heart that he was here with you, waiting for you to wake up. But you couldn’t help but feel a tinge of guilt. Guilt for causing him worry, stress, and inevitably adding to the already too heavy burden he carried on his shoulders.

You let out a heavy sigh. You reached out and ran your fingers through the short tuffs of his tousled blonde hair. He shifted under your touch and you pulled your hand away. His eyes opened slowly, squinting while he regained his surroundings. Suddenly he shot up and looked at you with wide eyes.

“Y/N,” he said breathlessly, his voice groggy.

“Hi, Steve,” you said softly with a smile.

“H-how are-how are you feeling?” he asked quickly, his words still foggy with sleep. He blinked a few times to rid the sleep from his eyes.

“Good, actually. I don’t know what kind of drugs you have me on, but,” you looked over to the IV in your left arm and then back to Steve, “they’re working.” Steve let out a breathy laugh.

“That’s good to hear,” he said as he reached for your hand and gave it a squeeze.

“How long have you been waiting here?” you asked, curiosity getting the best of you. You sincerely hoped you had only been out for a couple hours and not days. You didn’t want to imagine Steve sitting here endlessly, his worry only growing more and more as each day passed.

“Not too long,” he answered. A typical Steve response.

“How long is not too long?” you quirked a brow, a smile playing on your lips.

“Uhh,” he looked at the clock that was on the wall near the front of the room and then back at you, “48 hours maybe?” he said with a sheepish smile. Your eyes widened.

“You haven’t left this room in 48 hours?”

“Well, I-”

“Hey,” you placed your hand on top of his on the bed, “I’m not mad at you. I, umm, thank you. Thank you for watching over me, for being here,” you squeezed his hand and smiled. He smiled back at you. You both sat there in silence, watching the leaves dance out the window.

“What happened?” you asked quietly, breaking the silence. You heard Steve let out a shaky sigh. You looked over to him and he looked back at you with guilt and shame in his eyes.

“A lot went wrong,” he said, looking down at the ground. “A lot that shouldn’t have, a lot that was preventable. And I,” he paused and looked back at you, “I-I shouldn’t have let this happen. I’m so sorry, Y/N.”

“Steve, it’s okay. This wasn’t your fault.”

“Yes it was. I was the one watching the back door, the very door he took you through and escaped out of. I should’ve done more. I should’ve paid more attention. More attention to what was happening outside the restaurant. More attention to you. You didn’t even want to go through with this in the first place.”

“I never said that,” you stated.

“You didn’t have to,” his blue eyes bore into yours. “And,” he looked down, running a hand through his hair, “and I shouldn’t have let you go.”

“Steve, please. This was my choice. All that matters now is that I’m here now. And that’s because of you.”

“Because of me? Because of me,” his voice lowered to a whisper, “HYDRA hurt you.”

“Because of you, you were able to find me. If it weren’t for you, I wouldn’t have had that tracking necklace. Who knows how long it would’ve taken you to find me without that. Because of you, I’m safe. Because of you, I’m home. And I can’t thank you enough for that.” He smiled and nodded, but you could tell he wasn’t fully convinced. You knew he still blamed himself for what happened and there was no way you could change his mind. He was stubborn, so incredibly stubborn. But you hoped telling him it wasn’t his fault would ease some of the guilt he felt.

If you were being honest, you felt guilty, too. You hadn’t been truthful or straightforward with him about the whole mission to begin with. You knew he saw right through you. He always did. But just because you knew he knew the truth didn’t mean you still didn’t feel bad about not telling him. You knew if you didn’t tell him the truth, you would regret it for a long time.

“You know,” you spoke up, “you were right, I didn’t want to go through with all of this. At least not at first. But as time went on and I heard how much you guys prepared for this, I knew I would be okay.

“But, maybe I didn’t tell you how I really felt about the date, because, I don’t know. I guess I-I wanted to prove myself in some way? Prove that I have your back just as much as you all have mine. Prove that I was strong enough, that I was worthy enough.” Steve furrowed his brows in confusion at your confession.

“Y/N, you don’t have to prove anything-”

“I know, but,” you paused, “I should’ve been honest with you like you were honest with me. You told me you were worried and I just-I knew that. I knew you would blame yourself if anything bad happened to me. You always put so much blame on yourself. You’re so damn hard on yourself and it hurts me to see you put yourself through all of that. But it hurts so much more knowing that I caused that. That I caused you to worry, to make your burden so much heavier,” you said as tears started to well up in your eyes. “I never ever wanted to cause you pain, but I did and I’m so incredibly sorry,” you croaked.

Steve reached over the railing of the bed and engulfed you in a hug, one arm wrapping around your torso and the other cradling your head bringing you closer to him. You wrapped your arms around his neck and pulled him close, your tears threatening to fall at any second.

“It’s okay,” he murmured in your ear. “You didn’t hurt me,” he said with such reassurance. You loosened the grip around his neck and pushed him back slightly, your hands resting on his biceps, so you could see his face. The sincerity his eyes made you feel better. You felt that maybe, just maybe, he was starting to take the blame off of himself.

You let go of his arms and he sat back down in his chair, scooting it even closer to the edge of the bed than before.

“You know,” you started. He looked at you attentively. “I keep thinking back to when I was in that warehouse. I could’ve given up. I could’ve given him what he wanted and maybe not all of this would’ve happened. But I couldn’t. I just couldn’t let down the people I love. I had to stay strong for the team. I had to stay strong for you.” You weren’t exactly sure why you were saying what you were saying. You wanted to be honest with him. You wanted him to know how much he meant to you, but you couldn’t confess to him yet. The moment just didn’t feel right.

Steve smiled, the tips of his ears turning slightly pink. He opened his mouth as if to say something, but then closed it again before shifting in his seat. “Y/N, there’s something I’ve been meaning to tell-”

“Hey kid,” Tony announced at the door, cutting Steve off, “I’m glad to see you’re awake. How’re you feeling?” He asked as he walked into the room, closing the door behind him.

“Better,” you smiled.

“Good, good,” he said as he walked to the left side of your bed, squeezing your left shoulder. “Really though, I’m glad you’re awake. Maybe now this guy,” he nodded towards Steve, “will finally get some sleep. He’s starting to look like a glorified zombie.”

“I have been sleeping,” Steve corrected. “You just haven’t been around to see it.”

“It’s true,” you nodded. “He was passed out cold when I woke up.”

“If I woke up to that, I think I’d just go right back to sleep.” You rolled your eyes, trying to hold back a laugh. You were glad Tony was in good spirits.

“I actually came in here, because I wanted to debrief you both first before debriefing the others. It only seemed fair,” he said, pulling a chair from against the wall closer towards you bed and sitting down.

“That’s fine,” you agreed and Steve nodded.

“First things first, and I think you’ll appreciate this, we have Will in custody.”

“Really?” you asked with wide eyes. Tony nodded. You sighed with relief.

“We’ve got to work a few things out with the government and what not, but he won’t be able to come near you ever again,” Tony gave you a reassuring smile.

“Thank you, Tony.”

“Of course,” he said as he pat your hand. He pulled a tablet out of his jacket pocket and swiped across the screen. “I’m going to jot some things down that you tell me and then I’ll get that information compiled and sent along its merry way.”

“Okay,” you nodded.

“Alright, so to get a rough idea of what we’re working with here, how much do you remember? You have been out for a couple days.”

“I remember everything up until Steve brought me to the Quinet,” you answered. You looked ahead, you eyes absentmindedly scanning the room in concentration. “I remember…Clint was there. Wait,” you paused and looked at Tony, “why was Clint there? Wasn’t he away on another mission?” He nodded.

“Once word got out that you got captured, it was all hands on deck. Everyone wanted to help,” he replied. “Natasha and Wanda gave me hell.”

“I bet they did,” you chuckled. “They know I’m okay, right?” you asked. He nodded. “Okay, good.”

“They’re still giving me hell, though.”

“It’s good for you,” you winked. He let out a stifled laugh.

“So, what can you tell me about Will?” Tony asked.

“He knew me,” you said barely above a whisper. Steve furrowed his brows. “H-he said he called Stark Industries multiple times in the past. God, I feel so stupid. If I realized that, none of this would’ve happened.”

“Y/N, there was no way for you to know that,” Steve assured.

“I know,” you sighed. “It’s just-I felt something was off the minute I sat down at that table with him. But,” you paused, “I knew I had to stay. I would’ve been so upset with myself if I gave up on an opportunity to help all of you and ultimately the world. I just couldn’t bring myself to back out.”

“I know,” Steve smiled and squeezed your hand.

“Will said he knew you when we brought him in. We looked into it, ran the phone numbers he used, and it actually led to other HYDRA locations. We wouldn’t have found that if it weren’t for you, Y/N,” Tony added.

“Well, I’m glad I was of some use.”

“You actually helped us a lot,” Steve spoke. “That warehouse was where HYDRA has been storing a majority of their weaponry. We were able to confiscate all their weapons and keep them locked up and out of enemy hands.”

“We also were able to detain all the HYDRA agents at that location,” Tony added. “With the information from the phone numbers we ran and the information we’ll be able to get out of the agents, I think we’ll definitely be able to make strides to take HYDRA out.”

“Wow,” you muttered, surprised that despite everything that happened, things worked out for the team in the end.

You heard a ping from Tony’s tablet and looked over to him.

“Oh, good,” he perked up. “Looks like Natasha was finally able to hack into the warehouse’s security system. We should be able to see the footage of everything that happened.”

“God, I do not want to watch that,” you grimaced. The thought of watching everything that happened to you made your stomach turn. You were glad you were able to help, but you sincerely wanted to forget that it happened altogether.

“We won’t make you do that, don’t worry,” he assured. “We’ll have some of the team watch it to see if we missed anything important. And,” he paused, “that way you don’t have to relive what happened. If you want, we can just use the footage as your debriefing instead of having you retell it all.” You smiled at his thoughtfulness.

“Yeah, let’s do that,” you affirmed.

“Okay, sounds good,” he said as he stood up and started walking towards the door. “I’ll leave you two to it.”

“Oh, and Tony?” you called out. He turned and looked at you over his shoulder. “The next time we do this, pick somewhere a little less expensive. Your fancy taste is a deadass giveaway.”

“So, you’re saying there’s a next time?” he quirked a brow, a smile playing on his lips. You rolled your eyes and shook your head, watching him open the door and leave with a smile still on his face.

“Will there really be a next time?” Steve asked with amusement on his face.

“To be honest, Steve? I don’t know,” you shrugged. “Maybe.”

“Speaking of being honest,” he paused, looking down at the floor then back at you, “you said I was honest with you, but I wasn’t. Not fully. I was worried that something might go wrong. But I was more worried about you. So much. But I was afraid to tell you the truth. Afraid that things would change between us. That you would despise me if you knew how I really felt. And,” he paused, “I was so afraid that I would lose you and then I did,” he said barely above a whisper. “Losing you made me realize just how stupid I was for not telling you sooner,” he rubbed the back of his neck. Your breath hitched in the back of your throat.

You knew what that meant. He had done that so many times before around you. You knew what he was about to say. Or at least, you hoped you knew what he was about to say. It could go one of two ways: he could confess his true feelings for you, feelings that Natasha and Wanda and everyone else on the team believed were there. Feelings that you secretly hoped were there, too. Or he could tell you how much you meant to him as a sister or a friend. You desperately hoped it wasn’t the latter.

“For not telling me what?” you asked, anticipation building in your stomach. 

“For not telling you how much I care about you. For not telling you how much you mean to me. For not telling you how much I love you.” You sat there in shock. Your eyes grew wide and your mouth was agape. He said it. He actually said it. He loved you. 

“Steve, I-I,” you muttered, unable to form a coherent sentence due to your brain still trying to process what he just said. You felt warm and tingly inside and out. You felt excited, and happy, and relieved.

“And if…if you don’t feel the same way, that’s okay-”

“Steve,” you cut in, trying to break him from his nervous rambling.

“I understand if you don’t, but-”

“Steve.”

“But I just had to tell you, because I-”

“Steve!” you exclaimed. He paused suddenly, his eyes wide and his face flushed. He looked at you anxiously and expectantly.

“I love you, too,” you smiled. Relief washed over his face and he smiled back at you, his grin growing bigger and bigger as each second passed.

You both looked at each other, neither of your gazes wavering. You felt the atmosphere in the room shift. Suddenly, it was just you and Steve. There were no birds chirping outside, no machines beeping, and no other distractions. Just you and him.

Steve leaned in closer, his eyes flickering from your eyes down to your lips, then back up again. Your heartbeat quickened. You found yourself leaning closer to him and tilting your head as if by instinct. You both moved closer and closer until you were mere inches apart. You felt his hot breath against your lips and closed your eyes. You felt Steve cup your left cheek and pull you closer, finally closing the distance between you two. His lips were soft and gentle against yours. They moved perfectly in sync with yours, despite never touching before. It was everything you hoped for and more. You pulled apart, both breathless. You opened your eyes and looked up at Steve. He smiled down at you.

You frowned as you saw a figure walking down the hallway towards your room. Steve followed your gaze and sat back down in his chair.

“He has terrible timing,” you commented.

“Yeah,” he laughed, “he really does.”

“I hope I wasn’t interrupting anything,” Tony greeted with a smirk.

“You? Interrupting? Never,” you replied.

“I’m going to ignore the sass and continue about my conversation. There’s one thing I forgot to mention when I was here earlier.”

“Oh?” you raised a brow.

“I still haven’t deleted your Tinder account.”

“Oh no,” you mumbled.

“And you’ve gotten a few more matches I think you should look at.”

“Tony, no,” you groaned.

“I really think you should take a look,” he said as he held out a phone to you. You shook your head. “No, really, look at this,” he urged.

“Fine,” you grumbled, grabbing the phone from his hand. You looked down and the person on the screen was none other than Steve himself. You couldn’t help but let out a laugh. You applauded Tony in your mind, not to his face of course, for trying to act as your wingman. You turned the phone to Steve and showed him the screen. He furrowed his brows in confusion, the corners of his lips turned slightly upward.

“Tony, I never-” Steve started.

“Nuh-uh, I don’t want to hear it, Grandpa. I thought you two oblivious lovers could use a little help.”

“I appreciate the effort, Tony, but,” you looked to Steve, both smiling at each other, “we prefer to meet people the old fashion way.”


End file.
